So, in other words, best bass for metal...?
One of the three IMO. The other two being Warwick and Dingwall. At least for the subgenres of Metal I like most.
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Why is Spector so popular on TB?
- Thread starter Just Wrong
- Start date
One of the three IMO. The other two being Warwick and Dingwall. At least for the subgenres of Metal I like most.
I was in a band w/ a dense sound stage: acoustic guitar getting strummed furiously throughout every song, and loud; plus electric guitar and piano/organ player with a heavy left hand. My Jazz bass was just not cutting it with this band.
I tried a few basses, and Czech Republic made SSD (Spector by another name) really worked well in that band, with more lows and a clearer mid-range.
Plus is it has 24 frets and is very comfy to wear and play.
I tried a few basses, and Czech Republic made SSD (Spector by another name) really worked well in that band, with more lows and a clearer mid-range.
Plus is it has 24 frets and is very comfy to wear and play.
I got into bass in 1984 at 10 years old. Saved up mowing lawns and delivering newspapers and bought my first bass (an awesome Aria Pro II) that year. I was into rock and metal and noticed that so many of the bassists played these “Spectors”. I was never a Fender guy (I thought they looked too ‘70s - like a station wagon with wood paneling - and still do) so those curved lines just caught my attention. There were no import versions then so they were all expensive custom shop basses then.
What finally pushed me over the edge is when I saw Queensryche in ‘88 touring to support the newly released Operation Mindcrime album. Eddie Jackson’s tone was just an amazing mix of crushing a clear. I’d never heard anything like it live. I later saw Skid Row and Rachel Bolan had that same crushing tone. The more I looked the more the guys with the best bass tone were playing Spectors.
I finally got to play one in a music store in the late 80s (an NS-2A) and I was floored at how comfortable and just plain loud unplugged it was. Bell-like tone. It sounded like a piano but would snarl and growl when I would dig in. Guys like Mike Starr and Rex Brown just reinforced this as time went on and I’ve been a Spector guy ever since. I’ve bounced around and tried most name brand bass by this point but nothing compares with my Spectors for me. This is the tone I get from my Spectors and the tone I hear in my head that keeps me coming back:
What finally pushed me over the edge is when I saw Queensryche in ‘88 touring to support the newly released Operation Mindcrime album. Eddie Jackson’s tone was just an amazing mix of crushing a clear. I’d never heard anything like it live. I later saw Skid Row and Rachel Bolan had that same crushing tone. The more I looked the more the guys with the best bass tone were playing Spectors.
I finally got to play one in a music store in the late 80s (an NS-2A) and I was floored at how comfortable and just plain loud unplugged it was. Bell-like tone. It sounded like a piano but would snarl and growl when I would dig in. Guys like Mike Starr and Rex Brown just reinforced this as time went on and I’ve been a Spector guy ever since. I’ve bounced around and tried most name brand bass by this point but nothing compares with my Spectors for me. This is the tone I get from my Spectors and the tone I hear in my head that keeps me coming back:
For the record I haven’t encountered neck dive in any Spector I’ve ever played nor the one I own. My observation was just that most of the basses I played that exhibited serious neck five all had thru-neck construction. So I was just wondering if that had something to do neck dive in general for that type of bass.
Ergonomic body, articulate sound, highly customizable (especially the 5s and 4s with soapbar), really well built, lots of tone portions available between the different pickup spacings of different lines and the multitude of pickup and preamp options, the necks are dreamy for the most part, and fantastic finishes. Note - many of these in the pic are 25+ years old and still look new. They're built to last.
I don't think Spector is any more popular on TB than it is in the rest of Bass-dom. Spector was a major brand more than 2 decades before TB even came into existence. The fact that they're still making and selling killer basses at a variety of price levels after 45yrs pretty much speaks for itself, IMO. I'd bet a very small portion of their international sales are to TB users.
I’ve never owned a Spector with “neck dive” like you’d experience with a T-bird or Gibson EB type bass. Every Spector I’ve played that has any sort of “dive” tends to come to rest level at 90 degrees but only with a thin nylon strap. I have zero issues with neck dive on my Spectors and I’ve never seen one that has a headstock that dives to the floor when you let go.
Do they all neutrally sit at 45 degrees with your hands off of them? No. But neither do most basses. Most FSOs don’t either unless you put ultra light tuners on them. It’s never been a problem for me using a normal/padded strap.
Do they all neutrally sit at 45 degrees with your hands off of them? No. But neither do most basses. Most FSOs don’t either unless you put ultra light tuners on them. It’s never been a problem for me using a normal/padded strap.
As a long-time jazz bass player and recent Spector convert, the looks and ergonomics got me in the door. I like how they hang at an angle on a strap that gets your fretting arm's elbow away from the side of the body, and the curve of the body keeps the picking/plucking/slapping hand straighter through the wrist which is, ime, more comfortable for extended periods. Plus I like to wear basses relatively high and the shape/size of the upper horn doesn't crush my, uh, "endowments".
I've never cared for any of the big-name Spector players/bands (though I like some of the early Tackhead stuff), and nobody in my scene plays ones (FSOs, reverends, and stingrays seem to dominate), so that led to some misconceptions on my part about how versatile they really are. Yes, they growl, but that growl can suit a lot of different genres with little tweaks in eq and technique, and really shines in a mix.
I've never cared for any of the big-name Spector players/bands (though I like some of the early Tackhead stuff), and nobody in my scene plays ones (FSOs, reverends, and stingrays seem to dominate), so that led to some misconceptions on my part about how versatile they really are. Yes, they growl, but that growl can suit a lot of different genres with little tweaks in eq and technique, and really shines in a mix.
I wouldn't say it's exactly "popular". But of course it's a very highly regarded brand, even at their budget ranges (only ones I could afford). And deservedly so; I've played several Spectors and they were all nothing short of fantastic (construction, playability, comfort, a muscular tone I happen to like a lot). "Legendary" status isn't something achievable by that many bass guitars, only a handful models of a handful brands turn legendary on a massive scale. Luckily for Spector's business their target audience (us thick string bangers) are abundantly aware of the brand, its awesome creations and high quality standards.
I think most of us appreciate the place Fender has in the bass world. But there are other choices that sonically, are departure from PBass/JBass.
Here is the thing, what you are inspired to play has much to do with the sound and feel of the instrument you are playing. Agreed that a Spector does not sound or feel like a Fender and that leaves the door wide open for new inspiration to flow. You may love the bass or not.
As an owner of Spector basses, I can tell you that they are flexible enough to allow you play just any musical style, from old school to the most modern.
To OP, if you are curious, try one.
Here is the thing, what you are inspired to play has much to do with the sound and feel of the instrument you are playing. Agreed that a Spector does not sound or feel like a Fender and that leaves the door wide open for new inspiration to flow. You may love the bass or not.
As an owner of Spector basses, I can tell you that they are flexible enough to allow you play just any musical style, from old school to the most modern.
To OP, if you are curious, try one.
One thing to keep in mind is that the examples you gave are all of music made in the 60's & 70's. For plenty of people whose foundational music listening came in the 90's and 2000's Spectors may have been featured in some of their favorite music.
For example, my personal holy grail bass tone has always been Flea's Wal tone from Blood Sugar Sex Magik. A bass player friend in my area has told me more than once that he started playing a Spector after hearing "Would?" by Alice in Chains. So maybe Spector's don't appear on a lot of music you listen to, but that won't hold true for everyone. I'm not a Nickelback fan, but they have pretty great bass tones courtesy of a Spector. I DO dig "Porcupine Tree" and "Between the Buried and Me" and their bassists have also played Spectors. Same with Doug Wimbish.
Beyond that, they are super comfortable and great sounding modern basses. Like most basses, they can be used in a variety of genres and styles, but IMO they're especially great for hard rock and metal.
Mr. Spector is a excellent craftsman. When another great luthier says that about you, that is the ultimate in praise.
My Spector is just a J shaped object, so no curved body. It is a heavy bass; the only reason I have it is that the seller lied about its weight (+2 lbs).
It was made states side with such careful attention to construction that only diamond cutters devote. Sounds good, too.
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Spector hit my neck of the woods when I was just starting to make serious money. I loved the way they looked but wouldn’t try one because I was focused on paying off a loan and every penny I could squeeze was going to that. I wanted to be debt free more than I wanted a new bass, not to mention I was happy with the bass I had at the time. Fast forward 6 months and I was debt free and already had a decent mad money stash put back, when I stopped by my local music store for some new strings, and damn if they didn’t have a pretty blue Spector hanging on the wall. I decided to give it a try and it took about a minute to realize that just because it looked small, and in physical terms it was smaller than my Jazz, but it weighed a lot more and the way it hung on a strap forced me to stretch to get up around the nut. The weight was no big thing but between the stretch and feeling like a shirt you just can’t get to lay right, it was just not for me.
As for my idols and what they use? I’ve never had any idols and my only hero was more warrior than poet and usually stuck to a flattop or a janky old Silvertone arch top held together with spit and bailing wire, who taught me that the only thing that really matters is how does it sound and how reliable is it. Beyond that it becomes subjective, and facts formed from subjective data are in fact opinions and should be treated as such.
As for my idols and what they use? I’ve never had any idols and my only hero was more warrior than poet and usually stuck to a flattop or a janky old Silvertone arch top held together with spit and bailing wire, who taught me that the only thing that really matters is how does it sound and how reliable is it. Beyond that it becomes subjective, and facts formed from subjective data are in fact opinions and should be treated as such.
That's why I grabbed the Bantam 5 medium scale. All of the above and more comfortable reach. It's my #1 at the moment after I swapped the neck pickup for a 40p5 and put an LHZ pre in it.
I don't go for most of the "classic" Spector sounds, this thing can go deep and dubby, to R&B, to slap monster and everything in between.
